The Great Primate Handshake – Volunteer in Africa, working to conserve monkeys and apes through film and educational content production

Photos by Rehmat Rayat.

Today was an amazing day!

We went to Ngamba Island (Chimpanzee Island); a journey that took us about one hour and a half crossing over the Equator on the beautiful Lake Victoria, starting from Entebbe and finishing in the Sanctuary. The whole day was very productive and also a breathtaking experience for some of us. During the journey to the island I met Lisa, she is the head of an organization called Yeboyes, an organization that works with disadvantage children in Africa and in the UK. We had a long conversation and she also gave me some advice on how can I create my own organisation in my home country Colombia.

Silver, a staff member from CSWCT (Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust) was in charge of giving us an introduction to the island and the work that the sanctuary does. This introduction was very important for all of us as we had a better insight into the projects and work that they do. Once we were told how the island is run we took a walk to see the chimps. It was really nice to see them for the first time, interacting with each other, playing and hearing the different noises they make. For me this experience was absolutely priceless and it is also fantastic to know that all our work as volunteers is in collaboration with people that are 100% committed to a fantastic cause. My favourite moment was when they were getting fed. The chimps were raising their hands and screaming to get the attention of the staff member for more food. All my expectations were achieved and the whole experience was awesome.

The educational team had the opportunity to interview Silver and discuss the educational programs that they are working on, including how The Primate Handshake can help.

They also discussed previous work that Silver has done and whether it is useful to incorporate this work into the educational programs in schools in the UK. The video team had the chance to capture incredible footage of the island and the chimps.

The journey back on the boat was a little bit bumpy, but at our arrival Eleanor, Jade and Rehmat (the cooking team for the day) delighted us with some lovely food, the best meal so far and also the best and most satisfactory day so far as well.